Antioxidant action of Tinospora cordifolia root extract in alloxan diabetic rats

Tinospora cordifolia is widely used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for the tr eatment of diabetes mellitus. Oral administration of 2.5 g and 5.0 g/kg bod y weight of the aqueous extract of the roots for 6 weeks resulted in a sign ificant reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and an increase in reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismu tase (SOD) in alloxan diabetic rats. The effect of Tinospora cordifolia roo t extract (TCREt) was most prominently seen in the case of rats given 5.0 g /kg body weight. The effect of TCREt was more effective than glibenclamide. Thus our study shows that TCREt exhibits antioxidant action in alloxan dia betes, Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.